Pulverizer.



F. B. SPROSS. PULVE-RIZER. I APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7. 11912. l l LMQAM., Pantedmg. '10, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2f. MLA/ww# 4F. B. SPROSS.

I PULVERIZER.

APPLICATION Fl`LED FEB. l?. 1912.

PufentedAng. 10, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ALL

@Huang FREDERICK B. SPROSS, OF GHURCVILLE, NEW YORK.

eunvnnizna Speciacation o f LetteraPatent.

Application led February 17, 1812. Serial No. 618,395. i

To all whom it may concern.

' izers, of which the following is a specifif,

Y a rear elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a l Be it known that I, 'FREDERICK B. SrRoss, acitizen of the'United States, residing at Churchville, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Pulvercation.

The object of my invention is an improved pulverizer to work on farm land to prepare it for planting.

.The machine which kconstitutes the lsubject matter of my inventionis to be drawn over the ground, breaking up the top sur-face v and pulverizing and leveling it off' as it goes Another object of my invention is to provide means for increasin and diminishing the pulverizing action o' the machine.

Another object of my invention is to support the elements of the machine so that they may be lowered into contact .with the ground or raised from it to facilitatev transportation of the machine when'it is not intended to have its pulverizing action.

These and other objects of my invention will be fully illustrated in the drawings, described inthe specification and pointed out in the claims at the end thereof. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is longitudinal horizontal section of one of the pulverizing rollers. Fig. 4 is a front elevationof the machine. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5"-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the pulverizing roller and supports or braces for the blade therefor.' Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the complete cutting blade. Fig. 8is a plan view of the roller, showing a double set of the cut-ting blades thereon, the forward set being staggered with reference to the rear set. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail-views of special forms of blades vthat may be used in connection with the rollers. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of the channels 37 and 38, showing the device for giving angular' adjustment to the rollers. Fig. 12 is a detail ,view of the locking device for holding the frame at any desired elevation.

In the accompanying drawings like reference numerals refer to like parts.

In the drawings, reference Anumeral 1 in-V dicates the frame of my pulverizer, on

.which are mounted the supporting shafts 2 and 3, at the crank ends o which 4as shown to provide-- in Fig. 2 the supporting wheels 4 and 5 of the machine are mounted to rotate. The crank'shafts 2v and 3 are provided for the purpose of carrying the machine at di'ferent elevations on the lwheels. When raised the 'frame 'will carr'y the pulverizing rollers clear of the ground, and when lowered the pulverlzing rollers will be dragged in contact with the ground. The shafts 2 and 3 can be keyed to or clamped to the frame in Patented aug. io, i915.

either of the several positions, so.: that the and 11, which gears are mounted upon the -Ycrank shafts 13..y and 14 having handles on the inner ends thereof. By the 'rotation of these 'shafts the sprocketA chains 8 and 9 are turned and the shafts 3 and 2 are rotated,

causingthem to be raised or lowered with reference to the supporting wheels of the machine.

The machine cdmprises a rectangular frame 'having the sill 15 at the front and the sill 16 at the back, and the intermediate sills 21 and 22 parallel thereto, connected by the cross bars 17, 18, 19 and 20, all connected firmly together in any suitable manner. Suspended from the sill 15 by the brace rods 23 to 36 inclusive is the front channel iron 37, which channel iron is rigid with reference to the frame of the machine. Mounted to slide in this channel is the movable channel 38,' which channel is longitudinally adjustable back and forth for a purpose that will presentlyl be described. The top arid bottom flanges of the channel 38 are perforated with five holes which are spaced approximately two inches between centers, and a single'hole is put through the top and bottom flanges of the channel 37. A pin 39 channel 38 is held in place 'by'guide flanges 40 and 41 riveted to the outer'channel 37,

`or in any other suitable manner. This arrangement permits the easy longitudinal adjust-ment of the inner channel on the outerV channel, for a purpose which I will now describe.

io-s

Mounted below the 16 is the supporting channel 4Q, from which it/is suspended by the braces (30 to 71 inclusive. braces such as are shown at 72 and 73 are Ashown for the purpose of bracing the channels 37 and 42 laterally to the intermediate sills 21 and 22 ofnthe frame.. The shaft 75 by which the machine is drawn is attached .to the frame of the machine and braced bythe side braces 7G and 77.

Mounted in the channels 4Q and 38 are they which they. engage the bearings.` As shown in' Fig. 1, six of these rollers are Vpreferably provided in my improved machine. Each one is supported by the shaft, which shaft engages With a trunnion bearing carried at lthe front of the machine and a similar trunnion bearing carried at the rear of the machine. As 1s illustrated 1n Flg. l, these rollers 45 or then' supporting shafts are placed at anA acute angle to the sills of the framework of themachine, and by moving the channel 38 this acute angle may be varied within considerable limits, leaving them in the position shown in Fig. 1, or so as to bring them almost parallel to the line of travel of the machine, as may be desired, for purposes that will presently appear.

The roller 45 is a cone shaped shell or drum formed preferably of sheet metal, either wrought iron or steel. the ends of which are' closed front and back for the purpose` of receiving the supporting shaft therein. This drum is perforated with rectangular openings 46, 4G at suitable intervals, these openings being spaced apart .in

several rings arranged around the drum as may be desired. s The braces 47 are provided with hooks 48 on the lower edge thereof, which hooks pass through the recesses 46 and extend into the interior of the drum and engage therewith when t-he brace 47 is shifted rearwardly. riveted the cutting blades 48 and 49 as shown in perspective in Fig. 7, which 'blades come together at the top to form a blunt' cutting edge. and are spread at the bottol to 'obtain a firm lateral support along the roller by which they 'are held firmly in a radial position to the drum. IVhen the blades are all in position they may be locked .in engagement with the drum by a washer 50 which is held imposition by a rivet 5.1, or in any other suitable manner.

In Fig. 8 I-have shown a roller with two sets of short blades instead of one set of long blades thereon. "The front'blades are staggered with reference to the rear blades, each of the front blades having an offset portionf n dthe shafts 2 and 3 1n any angular posltion. 130

at the rear end thereof which engages with Other To this brace are the front end of the rear blade adjacent thereto, so that the front blades hold the rear blades in position, and the single washer 50 which may be used for locking the front blades in position will .also secure the rear blades as well. The offset portion 52 of the front blades may be cut away atshaft for the rollers to rotate therein. it

being understood that the rollers are left free to rotate and will'in fact rotate to some extent as the machine is moved forward.

lVhen the lateral adjustment of the channel 3 is made, it will be understood that the shafts 44 will travel in or out of the trunnion bearing 43, increasing or diminishing its bearing contact therewith. The natural tendency of the rollers to drift backward will at all times keep them firmly seated in therear bearing. The front bearings must be made sufficiently long so as to accommo date this travel in and out and still provide ample bearing lsurface when the channel 38 is moved sidewise tio givel the rollers the greatest angular lpitch to the surface over which it may be traveling.

In the regular operation of my machine the. angular adjustment of the rollers is made to suit the requirements of the ground upon which it is intended'to operate, a great degree of pulverizing being secured by increasingthe angle which the .rollers make with the line of travel of the machine. and the pulverizing being diminished by making the rollers more nearly' parallel with the line of travel of the machine. After this adj ust.- ment has been made to suit the requirements of the ground on which the machine is to operate, the frame is lowered to its lowest position and locked in place with the rollers in contact with the ground. As the machine travels forward, the frictional contact between the knives of the rollers and the ground will cause the rollers to slowly rotate as the machine moves forward, causing it to shear the clods of earth and to distribute all of the ground uniformly, reduc.-

ing it t0 a fine level surface. On each of the shafts 2 and 3 I fasten a gear Wheel 80 and I/claim as new and p'atentable is as follows:

1. In a pulverizer, the combination of'a frame, supporting Wheels therefor, rollers rotatably mounted in said frame, said rollers being mounteddiagonal to said supporting wheels, and means for adjustably changing the position of-said rollers at one end, said rollers having parallel axes.

2. In a pulverizer, the combination of a frame, supporting wheels thereon, stationary supporting channels mounted on' said frame at the front and back thereof, a channel mounted to slide in the stationary chan'- nel at the front of the frame, trunnion hearingsmounted in said sliding channel at the front of' the irame and in said stationary Channel at the back of the frame, saidtrunnion bearings being mounted to rotate around their vertical axes. rollers extending between the Channels at the trout and back 2,5 o1 said trame and supported by the trunframe at the front and back thereof, al channel mounted to slide 1n the stationary ehannel at the 'front ot' the trame, trunnion bearings mounted in said sliding channel at the I front of the trame and 1n saidstationaijf channel at the back of the frame, said trunnion bearings being mounted to rotate around their vertical axes, rollers extending between the channels at the front and back of said iframe and supported by the trunnion bearings therein, said rollers being parallelA `to each other and placedydiagonal to said frame.

' 4. In a pulverizer, the combination of a frame, supporting wheels thereon, stationary supporting channels mounted on said frame at the front and back thereof, a channel mounted to slide in the stationary channel at the front of the trame, trunnion bearings mounted in said sliding channel at the front of the frame and in said stationary channel at the back of the frame, said trunnion bearings being mounted to rotate around their vertical axes, rollers extending between the channels at the front and back of said frame and supported by the trunnion hearings therein, said rollers being parallel to each othe' and placed diagonal to said trame, means for fastening said sliding channel in its stationary Channel in a plurality ot' positions to vary the angular relation between said rollers and the frame.

In test-inlony whereotl I atlix my signature in preseneeof two witnesses. -FREDERICK B. SPR-USS.

Witnesses ALICE M. Jon'ANNs,

LENA M. ASH.

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